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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · pit · game · wake · leaves · rock · land · ground

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. land — ground
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pit — in a race
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. land — to come down
  10. rock — music
  11. game — a match
  12. land — a country
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ground — a position
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com